Fireflies
by SmugBoi
Summary: At the peak of tension between Team Seven, they are transported back into time. Now living in a Konoha before the Second Shinobi World War, the team has to pull themselves up towards the light or succumb to the darkness.
1. A Change of Time

Kakashi was often late.

Most of the time he was visiting the memorial stone, wallowing in his own guilt and grief. Occasionally, he was just being lazy. He had only regretted being late once in his life.

''NARUTO!''

''SASUKE!''

Kakashi just hopped onto the roof, as he saw the lightning and the spinning ball of chakra collide. An explosion followed, covering the entire area in its blinding light.

That would be the second time in his life Kakashi regretted being late.

* * *

They sat in silence.

Kakashi sat at the front, Naruto next to him. Sakura sat awkwardly squeezed between Naruto and Sasuke. Perhaps serving as a wall so the two would not fly at each other's throats. The boys were bruised and dirtied. Sakura's eyes were puffy. The only one who seemed fine was Kakashi, but he was just hiding what he felt under his mask. Like always.

''Come on now, guys,'' Kakashi said, smiling with his single eye. ''There's no need to be so upset. We'll all be fine, right?''

Naruto stared at his feet. Sakura bit her lip. Sasuke huffed and turned his head away. All uncharacteristically quiet.

Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the wall. ''This might not be the time to bring this up, but still, to think you two would use such deadly techniques against each other,'' Kakashi lectured. ''I didn't teach you the Chidori to use it against a comrade of the village, Sasuke. And I'm sure that Jiraiya-sama didn't teach you _that_ technique with that purpose in mind either, Naruto.''

The two of them said not a thing in retaliation. Perhaps his musings were getting through to them for once, Kakashi thought.

''Kakashi-sensei,'' Sakura started, breaking the silence from the genin side. Her red and puffy eyes were focused on her lap, and her face was scrunched into a worrying frown. ''This… this is not the same Konoha, is it?''

It wasn't.

The feeling of guilt bubbled up in Kakashi's stomach. If he had been a few seconds earlier, he could've prevented it. He could've taught them both a lesson when it mattered. But now it was too late. And the fact that they had tried to kill each other was a fact. A fact that would persist throughout time, no matter how much he tried to change it.

When the chaos from their collision had cleared down, they found themselves still standing on the rooftop, only in a more primitive looking Konoha. A Konoha with a few less faces on the Hokage Rock.

''Things look different that's for sure,'' Kakashi said. He ran a hand through his hair. ''All we can do is wait for now. Don't worry about it too much.''

Anbu had arrived to the scene on the rooftop shortly after Kakashi had realized something was not right back there. They were taken to a slightly unfamiliar Hokage's office, and had been told to wait. And so they did.

It was starting to become rather uncomfortable.

They all had been left with little time to think. Kakashi's team could only stare in silence at what was going on. Kakashi understood, dealing with this sudden predicament could be considered shocking. But as their sensei, he had to keep his composure up, even in such a strange and perhaps unreal situation. Luckily, Kakashi himself had stayed observant.

'_Back on the rooftop, I saw three faces on Hokage Rock. So sensei hasn't become Hokage yet, maybe they… maybe they could still be-'_

The door from the office shoved open. Two Anbu walked out. Kakashi recognized the masks, but he knew the same faces wouldn't be behind them.

''Cat. Weasel,'' Kakashi greeted the Anbu. They did not budge an inch.

''You are all unknown to our archives,'' the Anbu with the cat mask said. Kakashi clacked his tongue.

'_Very straight to the point.'_

''However, seeing as you do wear our headbands, and your alibis seem plausible, Hokage-sama has given you the benefit of the doubt. As of his orders, you are allowed to stay. You will be properly registered as shinobi of our village, but the positions you have claimed to have might be… _reconsidered._''

''Don't tell me you're gonna send us back to the Academy…'' Naruto muttered, breaking his silence. Even though the crestfallen expression on Naruto's face hurt Kakashi just a tiny bit, especially after all the boy's accomplishments, getting sent back to the Academy was the least of their worries.

''That seems fair,'' Kakashi said. He folded his arms. ''So what is going to happen to my genin?''

''We'll be assigning them suitable accommodations. That one,'' the Anbu said, gesturing towards Sasuke with a waving motion, ''is obviously an Uchiha, regardless of any suspicion. So he'll be staying at their district. You claim the blonde kid is an Uzumaki, but seeing as we're not going to send him back to Uzushio, he'll be staying with the only other Uzumaki in the village.''

Kakashi noticed two things.

The first one was the obvious gleam in the eyes of Naruto and Sasuke. The second thing was how the other Anbu seemed to slightly wince at the mention of the other Uzumaki.

''Uhm,'' Sakura stuttered, ''what about me… sir?''

''We were not able to trace down anyone under the name 'Haruno','' the Anbu replied. Sakura stared at the floor. ''Hence, you'll be staying at the same place as the Uzumaki for the time being.''

Kakashi saw another gleam in Naruto's eyes, and was convinced the other Anbu winced this time.

''But wait a minute!'' Naruto raised his voice, his old vigor starting to return. ''What about Kakashi-sensei? You're not gonna do anything bad to him, are you?!''

''Your… sensei, as you put it, will be detained for a while longer for further questioning.''

Of course.

''Very well,'' Kakashi said as he stood up. ''May I have a word with them before we continue with this process? In private?''

The Anbu nodded stiffly. Kakashi practically yanked the genin out of their seats and scooted them all a bit further down the hallway. He knelt down to their level, and saw eye to eye with them. For the first time.

''Listen, this is not the village as we know it. This might not even be _the world as we know it._ If we want to get out of this, just act like everything is okay. Don't say suspicious things, pretend to be normal and keep quiet,'' Kakashi whispered, glancing a bit more towards Naruto and Sasuke at the last part. ''As strange as it might be, that's the only road we can take as of now. Hold on for a little while, and we'll all be back together soon.''

''You promise?'' Naruto whispered back, just as softly.

''Ninjas don't go back on their word now, do they?''

Naruto grinned. Sakura smiled. Even Sasuke's lips curved upwards, even if it was just for a very brief moment.

Kakashi patted them on the shoulders, and stood back up. The Anbu approached. The one with the weasel mask stood next to Sasuke, while the one with the cat mask stood next to Naruto and Sakura.

''We'll be escorting them now,'' the Anbu with the weasel mask said. ''You should be heading up to the office.''

Kakashi nodded, and with a final look at his team, turned around. He felt the wind blowing towards his back.

He wasn't sure if he'd see them ever again.

With his hands in his pockets, he walked towards the office, and towards an uncertain future.

* * *

Naruto rarely found himself speechless.

There had been times were he had been surprised, very much so even. There had been times were he had been scared, very much so even. But he'd always have something to say. Encouraging words, insults to the enemy, whatever.

The thought of having family was not something he could say anything about.

Why now of all times? He was mad. Mad at himself. Mad at Sasuke. And then he gets to hear that they're not _really_ in Konoha — the Konoha he knew as his home. How could he leave his old friends behind, all those memories he made, and pretend everything was fine? Was this even real? Or perhaps he had fallen to some advanced sharingan genjutsu?

He and Sakura had been following the Anbu guy for a while now. It was an agonizingly slow walk. He had always known that things would've looked different decades into the past, but he hadn't expected it to be to this degree. Hell, he hadn't expected that he would have to experience this in the first place. Passing by buildings that were the same, yet weren't. Seeing things he didn't recognize at all. The absence of his beloved Ichiraku Ramen.

It was too much to take in all at once.

He felt a light jab in his side. He looked, and came to the conclusion that Sakura was feeling even more miserable than he was.

''Naruto,'' she whispered, ''do you think we'll be alright?''

He had to smile for her. He just had to. Even if his confidence had been left in the past, along with everything else.

Naruto grinned. ''We'll be fine, Sakura-chan!. All we gotta do is hold out like Kakashi-sensei said, and then we'll be all be back together again. Just like old times.''

Yeah, just like old times. Where they could all share a laugh. Where they could all complain about the hundredth D-rank mission they had in a row, or about Kakashi's annoying habits. Where he and Sasuke didn't make Sakura cry.

He saw Sakura smile a bit, but he wasn't sure whether she was convinced or not.

''We're here.''

The Anbu suddenly stopped in his steps. Naruto and Sakura saw the first thing they would like about this new Konoha.

''Wow…''

It was a very traditionally styled clan compound. Blooming trees surrounded the building, and a calming stream of water ran alongside the flanks of the building. An archway loomed over the entrance to the compound, with a strange symbol engraved on the top of it. Naruto saw Sakura's eyes narrows as she glanced at the symbol on the archway.

''Something wrong?'' he asked.

''It's a bit strange,'' Sakura said.

''What isn't,'' Naruto muttered under his breath.

The Anbu walked forward towards the doors of the compound, and gently knocked four times. After a moment, the door shoved open. There stood Tsunade, only with longer hair and no seal on her forehead.

''Oi! Isn't that the old hag?''

''Be quiet, you idiot!''

''Mitsuyo-sama,'' the Anbu spoke with a quick bow, ''is Mito-sama present?''

''She's here,'' the woman answered. Her voice was like music to Naruto's ears. ''What, did something happen? And who are these two with you?'' she asked, looking over the Anbu's shoulder, her green eyes briefly locking with Naruto.

''It'll be explained, but I'm afraid I'll have to speak to Mito-sama first.''

The woman looked between the genin and the Anbu a few times, before she slowly nodded and retreated back into the hallway. A few minutes later, the woman returned, this time accompanied by another lady.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat for the second time.

Her red hair was pinned up in two buns. For a second Naruto though she had explosive tags hanging from her hair, but looking closely, they were different seals. Seals he couldn't recognize. She wore a plain white kimono, making herself look simple yet elegant. To top of it, the same weird diamond-shaped thingy Tsunade had graced this woman's forehead as well.

''Mito-sama, a moment please,'' the Anbu requested. Mito nodded, and then turned towards the Tsunade looking woman behind her.

''Mitsu, could you take the kids inside please?''

The woman nodded and then smiled towards Naruto and Sakura. ''Come, follow me.''

The genin did not hesitate.

They strolled behind the woman and entered the compound. It was big. _Very big_. Ornaments, weapons and trinkets decorated the walls. Lots of plants and flowers too. They arrived in a large room with a fittingly large table. The room overlooked a courtyard, which seemed to serve as a small indoor garden. What caught Naruto's attention were the two rectangular stones in the middle of that little courtyard.

If he were to stay here, it'd certainly be an improvement over his old shoddy apartment.

''Who are these people?''

Naruto and Sakura turned towards the table, and only now saw the person sitting there. It was another Tsunade. A little one this time.

''They're guests, Tsuna-chan,'' the woman said with a smile. She turned towards Naruto and Sakura. ''Why don't you two sit down. I was in the middle of preparing food anyway.'' Her smile was even brighter than before. All the genin could do was nod, and sit down, almost like they were entranced.

''Oh,'' the woman cooed as she walked off towards the little Tsunade on the other side of the table, ''we should probably introduce ourselves. I am Mitsuyo Senju.'' She knelt down behind the little Tsunade and put her hands on her shoulders. ''And this is my daughter, Tsunade Senju. Now don't cause too much of a ruckus, I'll be back with food in a bit.''

Mitsuyo scurried out of the room, leaving the children behind. Sakura simply stared with wide eyes and an open mouth, while Naruto kept chanting ''this is a genjutsu'' to himself over and over again.

''You two are weird,'' Tsunade said, resting her head on her hands. ''Why are you two even here?''

''This is not happening, this is not happening,'' Naruto continued to mutter to himself. Sakura jabbed him in the rib, snapping him out of his stupor.

''We were told that we'd be staying here for now,'' Sakura stuttered with a forced smile.

''Okay,'' Tsunade dragged out the word. ''But hey, you got headbands too, huh. Guess you're gonna be put on a team tomorrow too.''

''What? They're making teams tomorrow?'' Naruto asked.

''Of course, you idiot,'' Tsunade said with a smirk, ''do you even pay attention to what's going or what.'' Naruto gritted his teeth and lightly smashed his fist on the table. He hated it when the old hag acted all smug and smart whenever she lectured him, but he wasn't going to take that from someone not even half her age.

''Why you little-''

''Here's the food!''

Mitsuyo returned, carrying plates and bowls. She places a total of six bowls of rice on the table. Tsunade quickly split her chopsticks and mouthed a thank you before digging in immediately. Naruto stared at his bowl.

He wasn't sure if he could eat it.

''You've got to eat your food, you know? Otherwise you won't grow up to be big and strong.''

Naruto turned towards the voice coming from behind him, and there she was. The red haired woman.

''You're-''

''Mito Uzumaki,'' the woman introduced herself, before sitting down next to Naruto, ''Mitsuyo's mother-in-law and Tsunade's grandmother. And you're Naruto, right? The ''other'' Uzumaki,'' she concluded with a gentle smile.

''You're a granny?!'' Naruto shouted. Mito looked almost as young as her own daughter.''And how'd you know who I was?''

''The Anbu gave me a rundown.'' She kept on smiling. ''I could tell from your chakra, too. It's a lot like mine.''

''Just from my chakra…'' Naruto muttered. Was that what it felt like. To have someone be so much like you that you could just _feel _it?

''And you're Sakura Haruno,'' Mito said, leaning over the table a bit so she could look at the girl. ''Since it looks like the two of you will be staying here for a while, I hope we can get along.''

Sakura nodded with a small smile. ''Likewise.''

''Well, all you kids should take it easy today, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later,'' Mitsuyo said after taking a sip of her tea. ''Tomorrow is the big day when the new genin teams are made. You should conserve all your energy for that.''

'It's gonna be a bit different this time around though,'' Mito added, raising a questioning look from all Naruto, Sakura and Tsunade.

''What do you mean, baa-chan?'' Tsunade asked.

''There's a bit of a deficit regarding qualified jonin teachers. So teams will be working together more often and will not necessarily be taught by the same sensei, or even a jonin at that, the whole time,'' Mito explained.

Naruto and Sakura kept nodding. Going along was all they could do, really.

''Oh well, I'm sure you'll all get a sensei that will turn you into fine shinobi!'' Mitsuyo cheered.

''Uhm,'' Sakura stuttered, 'can I ask a question?'' she asked. Mitsuyo nodded.

''For who is the remaining bowl of rice on the table meant?''

''I'm home.''

The clattering sound of metal echoed throughout the halls. A man stepped into the room. Tall. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Tanned skin. The red armor he was wearing looked old and not like something shinobi would wear. The strange symbol that was on the archway was engraved on the collars of his armor, and on the chestplate the Konoha symbol, right over his heart. His black hair seemed to be straight, yet a bit shaggy. Almost as if he had a bad hair day. If Naruto had to describe his facial features, it was like someone had grabbed the face of the First and Second Hokage and mashed them together.

''Tou-chan!'' Tsunade exclaimed. It looked like she was just about ready to jump over the table.

''Welcome home, dear,'' Mitsuyo said, with a smile brighter than the ones Naruto had seen before.

The man nodded as he started walking towards the head of the table. He suddenly stopped, and twisted his head to look at Naruto and Sakura. Naruto gulped. Sakura shivered.

''And who are they?''

His voice was deep. Stern yet calm. Something was telling Naruto that the man was not very keen on having them here.

''Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno,'' Mito said. ''They'll be staying with us for the time being.''

''And who decided that?''

''The Hokage did.''

It was like two storms were about to collide, and Naruto and Sakura were caught in between. The man did not say another word, and just sat down at his spot at the table.

''Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, this is my son, Senpachi Senju. Tsunade's father, Mitsuyo's husband and head of the Senju clan.'' Naruto and Sakura stared at him. Senpachi did not give them a second glance.

They ate in silence.

* * *

''Well, with all that done, you are now officially recognized as one of our shinobi.''

Kakashi nodded. It was nice to know that the Third Hokage had always been this friendly.

''Where will I be staying?'' Kakashi asked.

Hiruzen hummed and folded his stack of papers away. ''The most logical conclusion would be the Hatake clan house. Unfortunately, young Sakumo-kun is the only one staying there. So if it's not much trouble for you, I ask you to take care of him.''

Kakashi bolted out of the office at speeds unknown to man.

* * *

Hatred.

That was what Sasuke had based his life around. All good memories discarded. All shards of innocence wiped under the rug. The majority of his life he had spent harboring negativity for but one man and one man only. His one life goal had been to put that man six feet under the ground, anything else was but means to an end. What he would do if that man was gone before Sasuke could kill him though, was something the boy had not thought about.

The Uchiha compound was not the same. Structure wise it was. The people weren't. These were all men and women that had been corpses way before the massacre. These weren't the people he had sought to avenge. His father wasn't there, his mother wasn't there. His uncle, his aunt, his cousins, Shisui-san…

The Anbu agent led him into an apartment complex, fairly close to the main quarters of the police force. They went up exactly four stairs, and entered the very first apartment.

It was neat, simple. Definitely a place Sasuke would prefer to live in. The Anbu sighed, locked the door behind them and walked over to the lone couch. Sasuke glared at him, or more specifically his mask. That damned weasel mask. It was the same mask _he _used to wear.

''Good thing that's the last time I'll have to wear this thing,'' the Anbu muttered as he took the mask. Sasuke was greeted by curly hair, standard dark Uchiha eyes and a joking smirk. The resemblance with Shisui was so uncanny it almost gave Sasuke chills.

''The name's Kagami Uchiha,'' he said, ''guess I'm your caretaker now.''

Sasuke leaned against the wall, hands stuffed in his pockets. ''I don't think I need one.''

Kagami leaned back as well, and sighed. ''Hokage's orders,'' Kagami said tiredly, ''can't go against them. You're still a kid, and to be honest, some of the higher ups still think you're suspicious.''

''I've gone by on my own so far, I can keep it up,'' Sasuke bit back with narrowed eyes.

Kagami sighed again. ''Tough life, huh. Being on your own must be hard at that age.''

''We don't need to talk about that,'' Sasuke growled, ''you wouldn't know how it feels anyway. I lost _everything._ My whole family. All my friends.''

''I do know what it's like, actually.''

The answer was so curt and short, Sasuke was actually caught by surprised.

''You were still too young back then, but it hasn't been too long since the war,'' Kagami said with a small smile, and a bitter chuckle followed after. ''I lost my friends. I lost my teacher. I lost my family. Along with many others, I went into Anbu to hide my pain, but that mask only helps so much.''

Kagami fiddled with the mask in his hands.

''I hated the world. I hated the other villages and their shinobi. They took everything away from me after all. But I realized something. All those other people that had hurt me, had been hurt as well. Some were probably even hurt _by_ me. Our job is one filled with pain and sorrow, we can't dwell on it. If we do, we'll just lose our lives to it, even if we don't die. But when it's our time to pass, you'll realize you wasted that little amount of time you had on this earth? And what would it have gotten you?''

Kagami looked Sasuke straight at Sasuke, with a quick flash of red following in his eyes.

''Only regret.''

Sasuke gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists. Kagami didn't understand at all. How dared he to make such assumptions after just meeting him? How dared he to make lecture him like he understood? His pain was different. Your friends and family being killed by the enemy was one thing, your friends and family being killed _by your family_ was something else entirely.

''My entire life I dedicated to revenge.'' Sasuke trembled as he spoke. His eyes had turned red, two tomoe viciously spinning around as he glared at Kagami. ''And now you're telling me to just give it up? Who are you to tell me what I do with my life? You think I can simply throw that away and pretend I have something else to live for?!''

Sasuke was nearly out of breath after shouting at Kagami, but the older Uchiha did not seem to mind. He waited a moment, the silence serving as a moment of comfort.

''But you do have something to live for. Those people with you were your friends, weren't they?''

His friends? Were they really?

Sakura was annoying. Half of the time, she simply stood on the sidelines as he was doing all the heavy lifting. But she had always cared for him. No matter what the situation, she was the first to worry and rush to his aid. Kakashi was much like Kagami, always lecturing him. The man was more of a joke than a teacher. But still he had taught him a lot. He gave him a chance to survive against Gaara, and even with all the disrespect Sasuke had showed him, Kakashi kept reaching out to him.

Then there was Naruto.

They had never gotten along. They always insulted each other, always tried to be better than the other. He had felt content knowing he was better than Naruto for a while. But why did he care? Why did he have to be better than Naruto? When Naruto became stronger and — as much as Sasuke hated to admit it — surpassed him, he felt anger. Only anger. Not towards Naruto perse. More towards himself for allowing something like that to happen.

Sasuke's eyes went wide with realization.

He didn't hate Naruto. He didn't want to beat him. He wanted to be his equal. As a child he had always chased his role models: his father and his brother. But they were always too many steps ahead, and each time he'd try to catch up he would simply fall face flat down. With Naruto it was different. Against the blonde knucklehead, it was a neck and neck race. If Sasuke got on top, Naruto would surely catch up at one point, and the same applied the other way around. Their rivalry was truly the last bond that served as a safety rope. A safety rope that kept him from falling into the depths of darkness.

But was this friendship enough? Was it enough to fill a void in his heart that Itachi had so casually ripped out that one fated night?

''We might both have lost a lot of precious people, but we also have one that are still alive. Those we still can protect.'' Kagami walked over to Sasuke, knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. 'If you don't want to live your life for yourself, live it for your friends. Because they're the only people still around that would want you to live.'' Kagami chuckled a bit to himself. ''But of course like you said, who am I to tell you this? We're just guys who got screwed over by the world. I'm not your father, your brother or your best friend. But I am your clansman, and a fellow shinobi of the world. That's enough for me to make sure you don't succumb to a fate many others like us have already fallen for.''

Sasuke remained quiet.

''Now there's still something we have to settle.''

Kagami's eyes turned red, and three tomoe focused themselves on Sasuke. Sasuke almost staggered back in surprise.

''We have to figure out who will be sleeping on the couch tonight.''

* * *

The sun shone in a full summer blaze above Konoha. A pleasant wind accompanied Naruto, Sakura and Tsunade as they approached the Academy.

Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. A similar anticipation came over him as the first day he rocked up at school with his new headband tied around his head. Although the events preluding the team selection were a bit more tame this time around (if you could call time travel tame), it was still exciting.

''I hope we'll get on good teams,'' Sakura said, trying to make conversation. Tsunade huffed.

''Hm, there's a couple nasty kids in our class. Wouldn't want to end up with them.''

Small Tsunade was not so much different from the older Tsunade Naruto knew. She had the same attitude, perhaps with slightly less course language throw in at times. She and Sakura were quite similar in the way that they both were flat as a board (not that he cared, he still thought Sakura was very pretty). At least she was somewhat nice to them. Conversation with her was definitely possible.

Mitsuyo and Mito had welcomed him and Sakura with open arms. Just thinking about them made Naruto feel fuzzy in his chest. He could talk to them about anything, almost anytime. To just come home and be greeted, to have food ready at the table, to be wished goodnight as you retired for the day. For most, it was a common experience. For him, it was revolutionary. It truly made him feel like he had a family.

Tsunade's father, Senpachi, did not contribute much to that feeling.

Naruto hadn't seen him around often, it was like the man was playing hide and seek. The few times Naruto did meet his gaze, he was always the first to look away. Senpachi seemed cold, distant. But from what Tsunade had told them a few times, it seemed like he was a loving and doting father. Perhaps it was parental bias, or maybe Senpachi just was a busy man.

Naruto folded his hands behind his head. ''Nasty kids? Like who?''

''Like that pervert, Jiraiya.''

Naruto almost tripped.

''O-oh look, we're already here!'' Sakura quickly said, as she pointed towards the Academy. It was one few buildings that had remained the same in comparison to their Konoha. A mass of students — all freshly graduated genin — flowed into the Academy entrance, eager to get to business. Naruto, Sakura and Tsunade all joined up, almost getting squashed within the masses.

They followed the other students, and the majority of them split off into different classrooms. Naruto was about to follow the first student that entered a class, but with a sigh Sakura quickly dragged him back along. Tsunade came to a halt in front of the third classroom door, and shoved it open.

It was busy inside, this class had far more students than the class Naruto and Sakura had graduated in. The classroom itself was still fairly small though. Many students had no places to sit, so they were forced to stand alongside the walls. Naruto's eyes darted around the room, as he tried to see what all the students were like. He had a hard time breathing when he saw Sasuke sitting uncomfortably close to a miniature Orochimaru.

Sasuke did not look at him.

Naruto clenched his fist and was about to head into his direction, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Sakura looked at him with sad eyes and shook her head, and he gave up. He'd take not hurting Sakura over beating up Sasuke.

''Yo!''

Naruto was caught off guard by a sudden elbow leaning on his shoulder. There was miniature Jiraiya. Seeing his perverted master was enough to make him cringe.

''Ero- I-I mean, you must be Jiraiya, huh.''

Jiraiya giggled in a lecherous manner. ''I see you were told _all _about me,'' he slurred with a quick glance towards Tsunade, who was trying her best not to look disgusted. ''The great Jiraiya is here indeed, nice to meet ya.''

''S-so who's that… snake looking person over there?'' Sakura asked. Naruto glanced back towards Orochimaru and Sasuke. They didn't seem to be talking to each other, maybe Sasuke sitting next to him was just a coincidence.

''Orochimaru,'' Tsunade and Jiraiya said in choir.

''He's a quiet, smart kid who scored at the top of the class,'' Tsunade elaborated.

''He's a pompous, self-righteous bastard who thinks he's better than everybody,'' Jiraiya explained.

That was about what Naruto expected.

Tsunade smirked at Jiraiya. ''Come on, you're just jealous cause you graduated dead last.''

''Shut it, you flat chested-''

Before the chaos could erupt, a more elderly looking shinobi came forward and stood behind the desk in front of class. Most likely the teacher.

''Good morning, my former students. You've all come a long way from the moment when you just entered the Academy,'' the man spoke with a proud smile, ''but there is still much more you'll have to go through. Today, I will announce the teams that will accompany you through the start of your shinobi journey. Each team consists of three genin along with a jounin sensei. These teams will be your comrades of a lifetime, even once you move up in the ranks. The bond between your first team is truly something that should withstand the tests of times.''

Naruto felt like something was stuck in throat. If your genin team was supposed to have get along that well, then Team Seven was most likely not the prime example. The teacher coughed in his hand and shuffled some new documents around in his hands.

''However, because of circumstances, teams will be working together more often, and you might find yourself in the company of multiple jounin at times. Use this opportunity to grow as a shinobi.''

''That's what my mom and grandma were discussing yesterday, huh,'' Tsunade muttered. Naruto just hummed, and Jiraiya picked his nose while still leaning on Naruto.

''So what do you think the jounin will be like?'' Sakura asked.

''I hope there's a few strong ones out there,'' Naruto answered with a grin.

''My dad told me once that there are a few that made a name for themselves. Most of them even in fought in the war,'' Tsunade said.

Ah yes, the war.

Naruto hadn't paid too much attention in history class, but the First Shinobi World War had been fought not too long ago, at least in regards to the time they were currently present in. Naruto had never seen war himself, but always the aftermath of the battle. What was this world like after such conflict?

''Now here are the teams,'' the teacher resumed.

The man droned on for a while, as he named off a bunch of students Naruto did not recognize.

''Team Seven. Jiraiya, Tsunade Senju, Orochimaru. Your sensei will be Hiruzen Sarutobi.''

Whispering and muttering erupted in the classroom. Naruto knew that Jiraiya had been trained by the old man, but it was indeed a bit strange. That whole shortage of jounin explained it slightly, but for the Hokage himself to come down and train a genin team was something extraordinary. Orochimaru didn't seem to react, Tsunade seemed to be in deep thought and Jiraiya was grumbling something about ''snake bastards''. Unlike their fellow classmates, their sensei seemed to be everything but the main thing on their minds.

''Team Eight. Dan Kato, Shinko Yuuhi, Sakumo Hatake.''

Sakura tugged at Naruto's sleeve. ''Hey, one of them got the same surname as Kakashi-sensei.''

Kakashi had never really talked much about his family, or even much about himself in general. Perhaps the two were directly related?''

''Team Nine, the newcomers. Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha.''

Naruto sent a glance towards Sasuke. Their eyes briefly met, but they quickly looked away. Being on the same team again was going to be… _an experience._

''Your sensei will be Senpachi Senju.''

Yes, it was definitely going to be an experience.

* * *

The wind gently blowing through the training ground was the only thing that made a sound.

Team Seven, now officially dubbed ''Team Nine'', sat on the grass. Not too close to each other, not too far away from one another. Sakura stared at the ground in front of her, as she fiddled with her fingers in her laps. Naruto looked towards his side with furrowed eyebrows and a scrunched lip, his arms crossed. Sasuke looked to the other side, a very similar expression on his face.

Their new sensei had taken a comfortable seat by the tree in front of the genin. His side was turned towards them, and he twirled a kunai around in his fingers. Something he had been doing for the past five minute. Why no one had spoken up yet was a mystery to Naruto.

But he sure as hell wasn't the one who would break the silence.

''I was told you were experienced,'' Senpachi said, as his eyes followed the kunai he so gracefully spun around. The genin did not react. Senpachi turned his head to the side, so he could look at his new team. The team that was supposed to ''withstand the tests of time''.

''Saru- excuse me, _Hokage-sama_, was kind enough to send me some info about the three of you. If your former teacher told the truth, I should have a decent idea of what you all are capable of. And since you have worked together in the past, I doubt introductions will be necessary.'' Senpachi stood up and sheathed the kunai. He leaned against the front of the tree and crossed his arms, now looking directly at the genin.

''So… what will we be doing now, sensei?'' Sakura asked, very carefully. Senpachi hummed and looked up at the sky.

''At this moment, the other genin teams are being tested, as you may or not be aware of. The majority of them will be sent back to the Academy, and a select group of others will make it through. Usually, you'd be tested as well. Seeing as you claim to have been genin before however, I don't see the need to do that,'' Senpachi explained.

Naruto nodded at a rapid pace. He liked that Senpachi wasn't dancing around things. The faster they got to actually training, the better. The slight fear of being tied to a pole again also played a role in this, but he didn't want to admit that.

''Whether you come back alive from the first mission or not is a more suitable measurement of your abilities.''

On second thought, being tied to a pole didn't sound too bad.

Senpachi walked forward, sat down directly in front of the genin. He fiddled around in one of the pouches attached to his waist and pulled something out. Three small, square pieces of paper.

''Are you familiar with what these things are?''

The genin shook their heads.

''I figured as much. Chakra inducing papers. If you channel your chakra into the paper, it will display what kind of nature you have an affinity for. Here, try it for yourselves,'' Senpachi said as he handed each genin a piece of paper. They focused their chakra into the paper, and the effects soon followed.

Naruto's paper was cut in half. Sasuke's paper wrinkled. Sakura's paper turned dry and crumpled. Senpachi looked over all the papers, slowly nodding his head.

''Very interesting. Naruto, your affinity is wind. Sasuke, you seem to have an affinity for lightning, and I can guess you're most likely also proficient with your clan's fire techniques. Sakura, it looks like your affinity is earth,'' Senpachi said.

''And what are we gonna do with this?'' Naruto asked.

''Well, this will help me decide on what jutsu I should teach your first.''

Naruto's eyes gleamed with excitement as he almost bounced back up on his feet. ''Really?! We're actually gonna be taught jutsu for once?! When?! Which one?! I can't wait!''

''All in due time, all in due time,'' Senpachi said as he stood up and dusted himself off. ''I'll have to see your actual skill set in action for myself first before I teach you any new techniques. We will meet here again tomorrow for our first real training session. Make sure to rest properly, I wouldn't want to hand out punishments for slacking.''

With those final words, Senpachi disappeared in a whirlwind of winds, leaving the genin alone.

Perhaps not the smartest decision.

''Naruto…'' Sasuke spoke in just a whisper, as he stood up and directly faced his fellow teammate. Naruto stood up as well, and narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. Sakura rapidly looked from one boy to the other, and she could only pray that what she thought was going to happen was not true.

''I guess we have some unfinished business,'' Naruto growled, clenching his fists. Sasuke chuckled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

''About that,'' Sasuke started, ''I'm not planning on fighting. Not yet.''

Naruto stumbled back a bit in surprise. ''Say what now?''

''Back at the rooftop, you weren't intent on fighting me. I had just recovered. In short, we weren't going all out,'' Sasuke said. He looked up at the sky. ''I don't want to waste my time on the weak. We will fight once we've gotten stronger, once we're both ready to go at it with the full intent of _destroying_.''

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, his sharingan spinning around in his eyes.

''And I'll be the one to come out victorious.''

''Fine!'' Naruto shouted before pointing a finger at Sasuke. ''You're making a very big mistake here, giving me time to train! Don't you worry, Sasuke. I'll become a lot stronger and show you who's boss! Come on Sakura-chan, let's go home.''

The two turned away from each other, ready to walk their own paths. They left the training ground not quite as enemies, not quite as friends, but as something strange in between.

* * *

**Well, here's a new story. Time travel shenanigans. Earlier with an update for another story I had said I was making a comeback, and I am, sadly I lost a lot of my files and chapters, so that's why it took me a while to come back again. I wrote quite a few chapters for this story already though, so I'll just be publishing those gradually.**

**So what to expect from this? Adventure, drama, romance (which will be introduced later). A bit of everything basically. The story will be split up in two specific acts. Act 1 is about the gang as genin and figuring things out basically, Act 2 will be set during the Second Shinobi World War with an older Team Seven, or Team Nine as they're called now.**

**I chose to do this with the part 1 version of the characters instead of shippuden/boruto versions, because it'd be more interesting to see how they change from that point on, since their characters at the end of the series are already fully developed (or have a severe lack of development).**

**Since we don't know much about this time period, the timeline is super wonky cause Kishimoto did not keep track of things and many characters are mentioned but not explained in detail, expect OCs and canon deviations.**

**That's all for the first chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this, leave me a review with your thoughts. I'll publish the second chapter right after this one, so have fun reading that!**


	2. An Explosive First Mission

**NOTE! I had to take this chapter down and reupload things because I noticed the doc manager fucked up, and the formatting was non existent. This chapter and the first one have been edited for your reading comfort. For new readers, enjoy I suppose. For those that have already read through the first two chapters, please reread it again so you can experience it how you're supposed to. My apologies for this bamboozle, but the new chapter will be up soonish too.**

* * *

''Look out!''

An explosion followed. The trees crumbled and fell down. Shouts of surprise echoed through the training ground as countless puffs of smokes covered the area. In the middle of this chaos, Naruto crawled over the ground, using the last of his strength to pull himself forward, in the faint effort of trying to escape.

It was very hard to move with a hundred wooden splinters stuck in your behind.

''Get away from here…'' Naruto groaned, his voice hoarse and tired. He suddenly yelped in pain, as a sudden weight landed on his back. He weakly turned his head to look at what the cause of impact was. His eyes widened as the fear paralyzed him, coiling around his body like a snake that prevented him from moving.

Senpachi, on the other hand, seemed quite excited, as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

''So who's next?''

* * *

''Sasuke, I-''

''Be quiet!'' Sasuke hissed, putting a hand over Sakura's mouth. ''Do you want him to find us?!''

Sakura did not say another word, and merely shook her head with wide eyes. Sasuke removed his hand and reached for his pouch. His eyes, sharingan fully blazing, focused on a tree a slight distance away from the bush they were hiding in.

Or to be more specific, he focused on the faintly visible wire tied to said tree.

Sasuke flung a kunai towards the wire, and it was effortlessly cut. The ground near the tree exploded, sending pieces of the earth flying in all directions. Sasuke smirked. As if he would fall for such simple traps.

What he had failed to notice was the shadow that descended upon him and Sakura, along with the rain of kunai from above.

* * *

Naruto did not enjoy training.

He had often complained about Kakashi not teaching them anything new in the past. Always the same exercises, always the same D-rank missions; rarely did something exciting and refreshing pop up. But at least the training sessions with Kakashi weren't as _life threatening_ as the ones with Senpachi.

Senpachi had introduced their training as a form of hide and seek. Fair enough, Naruto had thought. He liked playing games, so why not train like you're playing a game?

Unlike a game, the training wasn't very fun however.

It involved the genin scurrying around the training ground, which was littered with obstacles and traps, as Senpachi chased them around. Whenever they overcame one problem, Senpachi always managed to come back with some other insane obstruction that made their lives a bit harder once more. When they had complained that it was too hard to keep up like this, Senpachi had dryly responded with the words 'improvise, adapt, overcome'''.

It will be fun, he said. It's the best way to emulate a realistic combat scenario, he said.

Now Naruto laid on his futon in the room he shared with Sakura, covered in cuts and bruises. Luckily he always recovered quickly, he wouldn't want to be beaten up with their first mission around the corner tomorrow.

He smiled a bit at the thought of going on missions again. Their very first had being quite the experience, an experience he would never forget. It opened his eyes to what the world of shinobi truly was like. Maybe his first mission here would go along smoothly and peacefully.

Then again, maybe things were going a bit too fast. It had barely been a week and it was like they had been flung back in their old routine of training and going on missions. He needed constant reminders that this was not how things were actually supposed to be. But in a world where he didn't have to walk down the street while constantly being glared at, in a world where he could return to a home were people were actually waiting for him, sometimes his old life drifted away like a fleeting memory.

Naruto shoved his blanket away and stood up. The anticipation was going to keep him up anyway. He stretched his arms, creating a loud popping noise from a few of his joints.

''Naruto?'' Sakura muttered in a sleepy tone, a she pushed herself up while rubbing her eyes tiredly. ''What's going on?''

''Can't sleep,'' Naruto replied. He slipped on his sandals and flung his jacket around his shoulders. ''Gonna go for a walk.''

''At this hour? We have a mission tomorrow! You should go back to bed,'' Sakura half-whined half-lectured the blonde ball of energy. Naruto mouth morphed into a grin as he crept over to Sakura's futon.

''Wanna come with me?''

Sakura glared at him, hiding half her face behind the blanket. ''...Did you even listen to what I just said?''

The response she got was Naruto tugging at her blanket. Eventually, Sakura groaned in defeat and stood up, ready to go outside.

The two of them slid open the door as carefully as possible, and snuck out, making sure to not make a single noise. The last thing Naruto wanted was to have wake up the entire family. Surely, Senpachi would let out his frustration about being woken up out in an extra intense training session.

They crept out of the compound, and took a quick breather in front of the entrance.

'''Let's head up there,'' Naruto whispered as he pointed at the roof. Sakura nodded and they channeled their chakra up to their feet, and strolled up the wall. Once they had arrived on the roof, they had to pause for a moment to take in the scene.

''Wow…''

The starlit sky lit up Konoha. Dim orange light from the shops and stalls covered the narrow streets, covering them in its warmth. The people that were still outside at this hour simply wandered about, some in thought, others drunk, all not knowing what the next day would bring them. Behind them was the Hokage Rock. The sculpted faces shrouded in darkness looked over the village, even protecting the people from the shadows. Very fitting of the title of Kage.

''I've never had such a view from my place,'' Sakura muttered as she sat down, her eyes darting around like a child in a toy store. Naruto laughed and sat down besides her.

''It's beautiful right? You can see even more from the Hokage Rock, but this brings everything a bit closer, I guess,'' Naruto said, before he leaned back and nestled himself down comfortably, basking in the moonlight.

''Hey, Naruto,'' Sakura said softly.

''Hm?''

''Do you think we can go back to how things were before?''

Naruto stared at the moon. That big, white orb that just floated there, almost without purpose.

''Well, I guess this is kinda like starting anew, isn't it?'' Naruto grinned, his face like the sun in the dark. ''You don't have to worry about a thing, Sakura-chan! I'll beat some sense into Sasuke, and then we'll get Kakashi-sensei back with us too. Team Seven or Team Nine, we'll stick together.''

All Sakura could do was lightly smile at the boy's optimism. ''Yeah.''

They stayed on the rooftop for a while, silently staring at the sky filled with their hopes and dreams.

* * *

The sun had barely risen when Sasuke had gotten up to train.

Without meeting eyes with any passerbys, without returning any greetings, he walked the streets of the Uchiha district. Even if revenge was no longer the main driver, he still had a single, simple desire.

To get stronger.

Seeing the masses of Uchihas stroll around was a very stark contrast to what the district looked like back home. Sometimes he'd have dreams about the times the clan was still around, only for those dreams to quickly morph into nightmares of slaughter. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been sleeping a lot better ever since he moved in with Kagami.

His path took him off to the forested area at the end of the district, not quite far enough to be excluded from the Uchiha territory but not close enough to be truly considered part of the entire district. It was a quiet and secluded place, something he could enjoy.

After a few more minutes of walking, he had arrived at his destination.

The clearing looked way less chaotic than he remembered. Outside of the targets hanging on the trees, training dummies were also set up on the ground. The equipment looked clean and new in general, nothing like the beaten and aged things Itachi and Shisui used to train with.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, trying to suppress too many memories from dwindling back up. His family was still all gone. Even if he would live his life out here, they wouldn't come back, or at least not as he knew them. They'd never come back.

He stood in the middle of the clearing, his eyes closed and hands at his side. He jumped, spinning around mid-air. The moment he opened his eyes to reveal his Sharingan, he reached for the kunai in his pouch and threw them at the targets.

Five hit. Three missed. Most were off center.

Sasuke growled. His landing was sloppy, and his accuracy sub optimal. Did he still have to recover from his injuries? Was his mind too clouded? He quickly got back up in position to repeat the process.

Four hit. Four missed. Two hit the center.

Two hit. Six missed. None hit the center.

Three hit. Five missed. All but one hit the center.

''Up early to train, huh?''

Sasuke almost stumbled as he landed back on the ground. He glared towards the direction of the voice, and saw Kagami leaning against a tree, a small smirk on the man's face.

''Yo,'' Kagami greeted with a mock salute. Sasuke turned his head away, a scowl on his face.

Kagami had proven to be a very meddlesome man. He always asked how Sasuke's day had been, if he needed assistance with anything. Most would see it as courtesy, Sasuke saw it as an annoyance.

''You're never gonna hit anything like that, you know?'' Kagami said, shaking his head as he made his way over to the center of the clearing.

''I don't remember asking you for help,'' Sasuke growled, ''and is stalking me part of your job now too?''

Kagami scratched the back of his head. ''Well, if you leave the house at damn near five in the morning, of course I'm going to check on what you're doing. You could be kidnapped for all I know,'' Kagami said as he rolled his shoulders around. ''Anyway, allow me to show you some tips.''

Sasuke shuffled over to the side, albeit begrudgingly, leaving Kagami plenty of space to work his magic. Without a moment of hesitance, Kagami jumped up in the air, spun around and not even a second later had landed back on the ground. Sasuke had barely seen the kunai move, but had definitely heard the sound of impact with the targets.

Eight hit. Zero missed. All right on the center.

Kagami dusted himself off, and looked back at Sasuke with a smirk. Sasuke was doing his best to remain his unimpressed self.

''It's not just about the aim and the speed, it's about the positioning too,'' Kagami explained, ''no matter how fast I am or how well I can flick my wrist,'' Kagami moved his wrist around excessively to support his point, ''if my back is turned towards my target, I'm gonna miss no matter how hard I throw.''

''Hn.''

''My, tough nut to crack aren't we?'' Kagami chuckled. He walked a few steps to lean back comfortably against a tree again. ''How long is your mission gonna take?''

''No idea,'' Sasuke said, as he went around the trees to collect his kunai. ''I'll be back today if it's just boring D-ranks. Maybe a week or so if it's a C-rank.''

Kagami looked up at the sky with a smile on his face, basking in the morning glow. ''With Senpachi as your sensei, I can assure you that it will be anything but boring.''

Sasuke remained silent for a while. ''...Do you know him well?''

''He's a few years my senior. Back in the day he used to help out with training me and the other genin. There was no Academy or anything, you just trained or got lucky and were picked up by a jounin or competent chuunin. Then it was all about proving your worth in the field during missions, and that's how you'd get promoted in the end. You kids got a bit easier with all these organized systems and exams, but I guess we were a bit closer to each other as we grew into the shinobi that we are today,'' Kagami said, still smiling. He looked down back at Sasuke, a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

''Things aren't like that anymore.''

Sasuke nodded. ''I see.''

Friends, family, enemies. Everything could fade away or reappear the very next day.

''Well, we still have some time until you have to get to the Hokage's office,'' Kagami said as he stretched his limbs out. ''How do you feel about a quick sparring match to make sure you're warmed up?''

The faintest of smirks appeared on Sasuke's face.

''I'll humour you.''

* * *

''I think a B-rank will suffice.''

At this point, Naruto was really starting to develop a love-hate relationship with Senpachi.

They had all arrived at the office at 8 o'clock stipt. Sakura had been trying to keep up a smile, Sasuke didn't say much (as usual), but Naruto had definitely noticed the bruises on the boy's body, and Senpachi was just being himself. And as he stood there, waiting for the crushing judgement of a stupid D-rank mission to fall upon him, destroying all his hopes, Senpachi said what he had just said.

''Don't you think it's a bit too early for that?'' Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, said with an awkward smile as Senpachi casually searched through the scrolls laid out on the desk.

''I'm not seeing the issue here,'' Senpachi remarked, not even bothering to meet the Hokage's gaze.

The old Hokage, who wasn't as old anymore, looked exactly as how Naruto would imagine a younger version of him. Less bald, less gray hair, less wrinkles, but all in all not that much of a difference.

''Come now, Senpachi. You'll have to ease them into it. I know your argument is that they already have experience, but hopping onto missions that are usually not assigned to genin doesn't seem like the smartest idea,'' Hiruzen tried to argue.

''Don't be like that, Saru. Look at them, they're barely able to contain their excitement,'' Senpachi replied as he waved back at the genin, with Naruto being the only one who looked like he was about to explode. ''When you were a kid, you'd blatantly go on hunger strike if my father gave you anything you weren't content with.''

Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched. ''I don't think we have to reminisce-''

''_Senpachi-nii! Senpachi-nii! Tell your dad to give our team a cooler mission! Tobirama-sensei isn't doing anything about it!_'' Senpachi mimicked a younger Hiruzen dryly, eliciting a few giggles from Naruto and Sakura. Hiruzen buried his face in his hands and sighed.

''...Fine. You can have a B-rank mission. All the consequences are on your hands, Senpachi.''

''Don't worry about it,'' Senpachi waved Hiruzen off as he continued to look through the missions, ''I _always_ take responsibility.''

Naruto started hopping around on his legs, shaking in excitement. ''Awesome! What cool mission are you gonna pick, Senpachi-sensei?''

''Hmm, let's see,'' Senpachi hummed, ''this looks like a good one. A guarding mission for a ninja temple located to the east of here. The majority of the ninja monks have left off on a journey and there are sightings of missing-nin and ronin in the area. All we have to do is to keep the area safe until the monks return from their trip.''

Naruto pumped his fist up in the air, Sasuke seemed as unresponsive as ever. Sakura raised her hand weakly.

''Senpachi-sensei, maybe it is a bit too early for such a mission? I can understand wanting to avoid D-ranks, but jumping straight to a B-rank might be a bit too much,'' Sakurai said, her protest tinged with the slightest signs of concern and worry.

Hiruzen chuckled and leaned over his desk slightly. ''Looks like there's a bit of a division here now, eh? Does she happen to be the brains of the team, Senpachi?''

''No stress, Sakura-chan!'' Naruto shouted as he pointed a thumb towards his chest. ''I'll make sure nothing bad happens. We can take this, come on!''

''D-rank or S-rank, I'll complete any mission you throw at me,'' Sasuke said, sending both a glance towards Senpachi and Hiruzen.

Senpachi clapped his hands together. ''See? The majority is in for it.'' He stuffed the mission scroll away before turning towards his team. ''Alright, we're leaving in an hour. Pack only what you deem necessary, but I do inform you that this might be a lengthy mission. Meet me at the gate. Don't be late.''

''Alright! Come on Sakura-chan, we gotta get our stuff!'' Naruto exclaimed as he dragged Sakura out. Sasuke grumbled something about idiots under his breath before he too left the office, hands in his pockets. A few moments after the genin had all left, Hiruzen let out a loud sigh.

''They seem to be a _very troublesome_ bunch.''

Senpachi snorted. ''Speak for yourself. You've got Tsuna on the team,'' Senpachi said, as he sat down on Hiruzen's desk.

''She is a bit rowdy,'' Hiruzen spoke with a fond smile, ''then again my entire team is an unique bunch.''

''How's their former teacher doing?'' Senpachi asked. ''The Hatake.''

Hiruzen rested his face on his hands. ''I've had some men ask around, and according to Sakumo-kun, they get along rather well. The Anbu I dispatched to keep an eye on him do not have such a positive opinion however. He seems to disappear after every corner he turns, and they can't keep track of him for extended periods of time.

''Oh jolly, I wonder if he might actually know he's being stalked.''

Hiruzen remained silent.

''Don't tell me you're actually that much of a fool,'' Senpachi said dryly.

''Don't you have a mission to go on?''

"Oh, forgive me Hokage-sama,'' Senpachi said in a mocking tone as he hopped off the desk. He bowed in an over-exaggerated fashion towards Hiruzen. ''I shall be on my way to perform my job as a professional babysitter, which you were so kind to personally assign me too.''

Senpachi turned on his heel, ready to leave. As he was about to exit, he was stopped.

''Senpachi, wait.''

He turned his head, and saw a smiling Hiruzen. ''Thank you.''

Senpachi stood there for a while, before smirking. He waved his hand, and left the office.

* * *

The road to their destination had been rather boring so far.

No sudden attacks or other surprises. Team Nine had been calmly walking for a few hours now. Senpachi had told them the location wasn't too far away. If they were to keep up the pace, they would be able to reach the temple by nighttime.

The hot afternoon sun burned them down. Naruto wiped the sweat of his brow and folded his hands behind his head. ''Hey Senpachi-sensei, when are you finally gonna teach us some new jutsu?'' Naruto asked.

''When the time is right,'' Senpachi answered, his eyes focussed on the road ahead of them.

''You always say that,'' Naruto whined, ''why did you even bother with that whole chakra paper thingy if you're not gonna teach us anything?!''

''It's not like you're competent to master anything he'd teach us, idiot,'' Sasuke muttered under his breath. Naruto growled and glared at Sasuke.

''I dare you to say that louder, you bastard-''

They both hissed in pain as Senpachi delivered a slap to their necks. ''Please save your squabbles for when we arrive. I'm not in the mood to deal with both the heat and your catfights.''

Naruto and Sasuke huffed. Sakura laughed awkwardly.

''So Sensei, we have to protect this temple and the surrounding area?'' Sakura asked. A question with an obvious answer. She most likely asked just to divert the subject.

And so she could focus on something else than the scorching heat.

''That's correct,'' Senpachi said.

Sakura nodded. ''So why did those monks go on that trip?''

''As you may or may not know, there aren't many ninja temples around anymore, especially large ones. The only major one that is left is the Fire Temple; the rest are all smaller and led in a less organized manner. The different temples do keep in touch though, and a few times monks from the other temples undertake a journey towards the Fire Temple. A pilgrimage of sorts,'' Senpachi explained.

''You call them ninja monks but they don't sound anything like us at all,'' Naruto added, ''why would you wanna be a monk when you can be a ninja and do cool jutsu!''

Senpachi's eyes landed on Naruto. ''Chakra is a powerful tool, Naruto. You don't have to use it like we do. Both the samurai and the monks employ it in different ways. It's just that the way of the shinobi became more widespread, and the samurai and monks disappeared in the background.''

''Speaking of samurai,'' Sasuke suddenly spoke, ''aren't there ronin lurking around the area too?''

Naruto cocked his head to the side. ''What's a ronin?''

''A rogue samurai, similar to missing nin,'' Senpachi answered. ''The only organized samurai force left is in the Land of Iron, any samurai outside of that force are often considered ronin. Some go along their lives of simple mercenaries, still living by their samurai code, others go down a more criminal path. We'll most likely be dealing with the latter.''

Naruto snorted. ''Not much point in having a code if you're not gonna stick with it…'' he muttered. As someone who stuck to his ways, the idea of someone spitting on what they stood for was not very comforting to Naruto.

Senpachi smiled lightly. ''It all comes down to the individual, I suppose. Not every shinobi is a cunning bastard, and not every samurai is a honorable warrior.'' He suddenly halted in his steps, and the genin stopped walking as well, confused looks on their faces. ''Oh, it looks like I forgot to do something.''

Senpachi crossed his fingers in a seal that was very familiar to the genin, and a clone poofed into existence. The clone beckoned his head towards the opposite direction of the road with a questioning look, to which the original nodded. With that, the clone rushed off.

''Wow, you know how to make shadow clones too, Senpachi-sensei?'' Naruto looked at the the clone that disappeared in the distance with a look of admiration.

''What was that for?'' Sasuke asked.

''Some business I still need to take care of back home,'' was Senpachi's cryptic answer. ''Anyway, let's keep going. We wouldn't want to spend another day travelling now would we?''

The team quickly resumed its journey along the path. A few more hours passed, and their surroundings grew thicker, and soon they were walking through the middle of a forest. The sun was slowly starting to go down, and the blue sky and the summer warmth was starting to disappear along with it.

''Is that water I'm hearing?'' Naruto wondered as his eyes gazed around the forest.

''The east side of the Land of Fire is closer to the sea. You'll find many rivers and the likes here,'' Senpachi explained.

The forest cleared out, and they arrived in a larger, more open area. To their right, downhill, stood a town. It didn't look like the largest place, though many people were up and about. A river crossed through the middle of the town, separating it in half. To their left, the forest expanded. The sound of waterfalls could be heard from deep within. In the clearing itself, a path of stairs led up to a temple. Aged statues of saints and monks were positioned alongside the entrance, and dragon like figures coiled themselves along the pillars. The faintest smell of incense lingered in the air.

''Looks like we're here,'' Senpachi said as he rubbed his hands together and started walking up the stairs. The genin soon followed after him. Halfway through the way up, a figure walked out of the temple. It seemed to be an older looking man, dressed in the standard monk attire. The lines and wrinkles on his face were profound, and his bald head shimmered.

''Welcome, shinobi of Konoha,'' the man said as he bowed, ''I thank you for your speedy arrival.''

''It wasn't much trouble. I'm Senpachi Senju, this is my team consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno,'' Senpachi introduced them. ''If the information was correct, you must be Nintai-san?''

Nintai nodded with a smile. ''I am indeed. To think they would send a man such as yourself. I am quite honored.''

''I'm not that special,'' Senpachi replied. ''Before we proceed further though, there is something I will have to test, Nintai-san.''

The monk slowly nodded. ''Alright, what would this be?''

In a flash, Senpachi had closed what little distance there was between him and Nintai. The kunai in Senpachi's hand was just a tiny bit removed from Nintai's throat. A small motion was all that was required to draw blood. The genin all blinked, before their faces broke out into horrified expressions. Nintai's reaction was more delayed, as he stood there for a few seconds, before his mouth fell open and he started shivering.

''S-Senpachi-san?''

''Apologies,'' Senpachi said as he stuffed the kunai back in his pouch, ''I always like to confirm whether our clients have nothing to hide.''

''_I don't think that was necessary_, _Senpachi-sensei,''_ Sakura muttered, sweat trickling down her forehead.

''_Yeah, you're giving our village a bad name_,'' Naruto added.

''Better safe than sorry,'' Senpachi replied with a smile.

Nintai rubbed his neck with a small smile on his face. ''Well, safety measures have to be taken. Shall we head on inside?''

Senpachi pushed all his genin forward. ''Unpack your things and rest, I'll go secure the perimeter. The real deal will start tomorrow,'' Senpachi ordered. The genin walked along with Nintai into the temple.

The inside of the temple consisted of one large open room, with frankly not much present. A large statue stood at the end of the room, occupying a lot of the space. A few other altars and candles were the only remaining pieces of decoration.

Naruto flinged his backpack onto the ground and stretched his arms. ''Man, finally a break after walking in heat the whole day!'' he said as he plopped down onto the ground.

Nintai chuckled. ''The weather can be quite hard on the body during this time of the year. I'll go prepare some tea for you.''

''Thank you,'' Sakura said with a soft smile. Nintai quickly disappeared into one of the backrooms, leaving the genin alone.

''I sure hope we can get some training in during this mission,'' Naruto muttered.

''Hm,'' Sasuke hummed. In agreement, most likely.

''I'm still not too sure how to feel about this,'' Sakura said, wrapping her arms around her knees. ''Maybe we should've just taken a D-rank.''

Naruto waved her off. ''You worry too much, Sakura-chan. Our first mission turned out to be a freaking A-rank, and we did fine!''

Sakura shot him a sharp look. ''Yeah, as if. You and Sasuke got beaten up real bad, Kakashi-sensei was all tired out, and Zabuza and Haku were…''

She trailed off into silence. Faint memories of Zabuza and Haku drifted around in Naruto's head. Maybe in this world… maybe in this world he could make sure he could give them a chance to live?

''This isn't like that time on the bridge,'' Sasuke said, his eyes closed and arms folded. ''We've gotten a lot stronger since then. And even though we haven't seen much yet, I know he's strong. Way stronger than Kakashi.''

''Kakashi-sensei,'' Naruto muttered, ''I wonder how he's doing…''

* * *

''Kakashi-san, could you please let go of me?''

''I'm afraid I can't~'' Kakashi hummed, his arms firmly wrapped around Sakumo's small frame. ''And what did I tell you? You can call me Onii-chan.''

''Kakashi-san-''

''_Onii-chan._''

Sakumo blinked a few times.

''...Onii-chan.''

Sakumo let out a few coughs as the embrace he was in grew even tighter. Kakashi knew very well that this boy would later become Konoha's legendary White Fang and his father.

But his dad as a child was something he _had_ to cherish and protect.

* * *

''I hope he's doing fine,'' Sakura said.

They heard a door open from the back of the room, and Nintai walked back in with a tray. He placed a cup of tea in front of each genin, before sitting down himself.

''I hope your journey on the way here was not too strenuous,'' Nintai said as he took a sip of his own tea.

''Nah, it was pretty boring,'' Naruto replied.

''Nintai-san, I have a few questions for you,'' Sakura said as she looked straight at the monk. Nintai smiled.

''Ask away.''

''Do you know some more about the criminals that are holding up in the area?'' Sakura asked.

''All the sightings came from a fair distance from the town. They seem to do just ravage every place they pass by, stealing, raping and killing their way from area to area,'' Nintai elaborated with a frown. ''I'm convinced we're dealing with an organized gang here.''

Naruto rubbed his chin. ''And you think they're gonna try to hit this place next.''

Nintai nodded. ''The town nearby might be not be very large, but it's very prosperous. Then there's the temple here too. They have all the reason to settle in and make this place their playground.''

''That's something I've been wondering about. How lively the place is doesn't seem to correspond with its size,'' Sakura remarked, making Nintai smile.

''You're quite observant. The town has quite the history behind it.''

The genin all leaned forward slightly, anticipating Nintai to continue. The monk took another sip of his tea.

''Across from the sea, towards the east, lies Kirigakure. During the war years ago, Kiri's position was both its greatest blessing and its greatest curse. Kiri is located on this archipelago shrouded in mist. Reaching the place was an undertaking in itself. This also applied the other way around for Kiri's forces though, as reaching the mainland to launch an offensive was very difficult. Very few of their shinobi managed to get through, as their various enemies awaited them ashore to ambush them. Little by little though, Kiri started to become more efficient with deploying its forces on the mainland. Most of the other villages weren't having it.''

The genin all sipped their tea simultaneously, their eyes still focused on Nintai.

''Sunagakure would be the village that would take the battle to Kiri. A small army made up out of Suna's elite wind users was dispatched to attack. The mist that served as Kiri's defense was torn apart by the vicious winds, and the village was wide open. Like I said before, Kiri was built on an archipelago, which also means that certain parts of the village are spread out on the smaller islands surrounding the main one. Those parts were the first to be laid under siege. With trading routes cut off and a good chunk of Kiri's main forces fighting on the mainland, the village stood under huge pressure. The inhabitants of the smaller islands were left a choice: die in their own homes, or attempt to flee with the chance that they'll die trying.''

''Man, that's horrible…'' Naruto muttered.

Nintai smiled sadly. ''Having to make such a choice is simply unimaginable. People took what little possessions they had left and ran. Many were killed by Suna's shinobi, others died along the way. The refugees that survived scattered along the Elemental Nations, in hopes of finding a safer place to stay. One day, a group of these refugees happened to pass along our temple. We gave them a place to stay out of kindness, but they made sure to work off the debt they thought they owed us. Soon they took up crafts and trades of their own, and settled down at the river downhill from here. More people started settling, children were born and over the years that small settlement formed into the town it is now. The people named it Hinansho Town, hoping it would remain a shelter and a safe haven for the rest of their lives.''

''That's incredible,'' Sakura said, ''those people built up a new life from themselves when they had nothing.''

''A lot of blood, sweat and tears was put into Hinansho Town. That's why,'' Nintai clenched the cloth of his robes in his fists, ''that's why I can't stand the thought of that beautiful town, filled with honest and hardworking people, being turned into a hellhole by a gang of rag tagged vagabonds.''

Naruto smirked and jumped up his feet. ''You don't have to worry about a thing, old man! We'll make sure to keep the people save, and we'll teach those thugs a lesson!''

Nintai smiled warmly at Naruto's enthusiasm.

''Thank you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.''

* * *

Naruto was not able to catch a wink of sleep.

He rolled around in his futon, staring at the temple ceiling. The genin all slept in the big main room of the temple. Sasuke silently slept, or at that was what Naruto assumed. He could tell Sakura was definitely asleep from the cute little snores she'd let out occasionally. Nintai had retreated into one of the backrooms, and he had no idea where Senpachi decided to sleep.

''Ah, shit.''

Naruto crawled up and yawned. Too many thoughts drifted around in his head. This new mission, his very first mission, the story of the Hinansho Town. It was exciting. Determination burned like fire in his heart. He was dead set on protecting that town, and making sure those criminals wouldn't harm anyone.

If he could do that while learning a new jutsu or two as well, that would make the mission one big success.

He walked over towards the stairs of the temple and sat down. He glanced down towards the river, towards Hinansho Town. It was still crowded and full of life, even in the middle of the night. He couldn't let something like that go to waste. He wouldn't let that happen.

''Can't sleep?''

Naruto turned towards the voice behind, and saw Senpachi standing behind him. Naruto forced a grin and rubbed the back of his head.''

''Yeah, I'm sorry Senpachi-sensei. I guess I'll head back to bed now,'' Naruto apologised.

''Follow me.''

Senpachi started walking down the stairs. Naruto's eyes just followed him, before he hopped onto his feet in surprise.

''Eh?!''

''Did I stutter? Come on,'' Senpachi called back before continuing his way down the stairs.

''Damn it Senpachi-sensei, gimme a sec! At least lemme put my sandals on!''

After Naruto had 'prepared' himself, he ran after Senpachi, following him into the forest. The sound of streaming water became louder and louder.

''Senpachi-sensei, wait!''

Senpachi stood, and Naruto finally caught up to him. Looking around, Naruto saw that they were in a small area right next to a river. Small waterfalls flowed down from the cliffs, and countless fireflies flew around, lighting up the area in the darkness of the midnight forest.

''This place looks decent enough,'' Senpachi said, nodding as he gazed around the area. ''Sit.''

Naruto sat down, and Senpachi sat across from him. Naruto simply stared as Senpachi took a scroll out of his pouch. He folded it open, and with a small poof of smoke, various things appeared out of the scroll.

Brushes, Papers. Ink.

''Senpachi-sensei, what's going?'' Naruto asked in confusion.

''The Uzumaki are a clan who specialize in sealing,'' Senpachi started, ''it has been our bread and butter since our clan was formed. As a fellow clansman and your sensei, it is my job to pass on our art to you.''

''Awesome!'' Naruto shouted. ''So what seal are you gonna teach me first?''

"Watch.''

Senpachi pulled out a smaller piece of paper and dipped his brush in ink. He started writing and drawing, and within a few seconds it seemed like the entire piece of paper had been filled up with strange lines and kanji. Senpachi then proceeded to take a kunai out and attached the piece of paper. He threw it towards the river, and a small explosion followed, making sprinkles of water rain down.

''That. was. COOL!'' Naruto pumped a fist up in the air. ''Finally I'm gonna be able to make explosive tags myself!''

Senpachi nodded. ''It is a very handy skill to have. Now pay attention, this is what the formula is like.''

Senpachi continued to explain the very basics of general sealing and, in particular, the explosive tags they were about to make. Naruto eyes were glued to the brush that so fluently flowed over the paper. Senpachi explained everything in detail, yet it was very simple for Naruto to understand. He felt like a connection started growing between the two of them. Not just a teacher and student connection, but a connection from one Uzumaki to another. Finally, Naruto got the chance to practice himself.

''What do you mean it's not supposed to be drawn like that?!''

''You're supposed to _contain_ the explosion, you fool. Not let it flow rampant. And what's this abomination of a line supposed to be?''

''It's just as squigly as the ones you drew!''

''No, no. The first curve is supposed to be just a tiny bit longer than the second.''

''How the hell does that make a difference?!''

Their lesson would continue deep into the night.

* * *

**Well, here's chapter 2. We're going straight into the first mission, mostly because I don't feel like writing all these filler training and conversation scenes that don't really end up contributing to the bigger picture. I've seen a lot of time travel fics do it to drag things out at the start and to be honest, I ain't really about that.**

**The POV will still be switching around quite a bit in these early chapters, I plan to then shift the narrative to Naruto mainly, and then cycle between the members of the OG Team Seven for extended periods of time. We'll be getting to Kakashi soon enough, but for now I can only give you guys a few teasers about that.**

**So that's it for chapter 2. Leave me a review with your thoughts, any questions you have etc, and I'll see you guys in chapter 3!**


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